Havoc
by EPA Nano
Summary: A new figure with an agenda all of her own has entered the realm of Neo-Gotham's underbelly, testing its criminals as well as its bat-themed vigilante to their limits. A feisty criminal with a steadily growing reputation, Renegade certainly lives up to her name. But when her dark past catches up with her, her two lives coincide and spiral out of control.


**Hey guys! For those of you who are reading this, my name is Nano and this is my first (proper) fanfiction. So please be gentle, I write these things for fun. The rating I'm keeping a T just to be safe, some chapters may be more, some less, we'll see as we go along.**

**Inspiration music for this chapter (music I was listening to while writing it):**

**Hit and run - Lolo**

**How the Mighty Fall – Fall Out Boy**

**Trouble – P!nk (this one is rather fitting, I think)**

**Enjoy!**

The evening settled over the city in a brazen display of violent colours before black bled into the night sky. Yet the darkness could not completely touch the streets of Neo Gotham. Neon lights flashed from nightclubs and bars as the stragglers made their way indoors, not wanting to get caught out at this time of night. Crouched high above them all on the rooftops and parapets, she observed the nightlife, away from the multi-coloured signs with growing disinterest. There wasn't much action here, and Renegade had a couple of hours to kill before her next mission. Standing and stretching the stiffness from her joints, she ambled across the rooftop to the opposite end where the network of byways stretched off into a labyrinth.

A bitter chill lingered in the air, signalling the coming of fall. Even in this technologized city, the elements still came into play. She embraced the cold; it always brought her on edge in that delicious way she loved. She lost herself in the night's ambiance; it seeped into her head like ecstasy. She breathed in, drunk on the fumes of the city. Her body grew restless. She needed to occupy herself until the time drew near. She needed edge. She needed action. Her limbs twitched agitatedly, but she withheld the urge to run. She couldn't afford to be exhausted on a job just because she wanted a little pre-adrenaline rush. She fingered the small, cylindrical device strapped to her hip yearningly.

_All good things to those who wait,_ she reminded herself brusquely.

She flexed her muscles, feeling the Kevlar of her garb tighten around her skin. The knives strapped to her belt bit into her thigh as she cocked her hip in a swaying motion, crossing her arms and tapping her fingers in a rhythmic wave as they peeked out of the crook of her elbow. She glanced at the digital clock hidden halfway beneath the glove cuff on her wrist as the glowing numbers indicated that she had about an hour and a half before she had to meet her most recent employer. At this distance it would only take a little over half an hour to get to the rendezvous point. Her lips pursed in consideration. A little wander couldn't hurt, could it? Fingers flickering in agitation, she caved, grinning as she felt her muscles coil in preparation.

_Only if you go looking for trouble,_ a little voice piped up in her head.

Taking that as a confirmation, she sprang out; taking off like a bolt from a crossbow in any God-given direction. Roosting pigeons startled from their nests, feathers flying on the air current of her sprint. She took a flying leap over the alley separating the building she was on from the other, dropping and rolling as she landed to maintain her speed. She hadn't been in this gig for very long, but that didn't make her inexperienced. Most of Gotham's underbelly had heard of the name _Renegade_ by now – half of them had employed her at some point. Even the Bat had her under his radar now.

Steadily, with several, small-time gang leaders under her thumb, she was making her way up the food chain, and yet she remained downwind of the criminal hierarchy. No need to let the wrong people know just how powerful she was getting. So she waited, biding her time, waiting for her forces to grow enough to take her seat at the top and send the kings of the underworld crashing down along with their chrome fortresses. _How the mighty fall,_ she mused wryly. A distant scream pierced through the rushing winds, snapping through the strings of her thoughts but not deterring her pace. Her lips curled before she altered her trajectory, whipping her body right and to the edge of the building, towards the source of the cry.

Using the parapet as a springboard, she jumped, easily clearing the break between rooftops and continued running even as she landed. She could feel the adrenaline begin to build in her veins, so she urged her legs faster, eager to get her blood pumping. The commotion grew louder as she closed in, a final leap, a final sprint as she was standing directly above them. At first she had to stifle a snort. A bunch of multi-coloured bozos were prancing around the alley below with jingle bell hats, ruffles and face paint. However the girl in their sights didn't seem to find the spectacle as amusing as she did. How degrading it must be to be assaulted by a bunch of clowns. Renegade shook her head in empathy, crouching down to balance on the balls of her feet and observe the unsavoury situation for a little while longer.

"She doesn't look too happy, does she boys?" The girl whimpered as their shadows fell over her, blocking the light that made her tears glisten. They'd already mugged her and they still weren't letting her go. Dark metal cylinders encircled where she sat – she could practically smell the gunpowder burned into the barrels. She'd most probably be found lying in the garbage by daybreak. "I know something that will make her smile," one of the Jokerz muttered lewdly, eyeing her curled up body like a wolf would a hunk of meat. "Well, it'll make me smile at least." The group cackled manically, the leader reaching down to grab at the thin top she regretted wearing tonight. "No, please no!"

Something whizzed out of the darkness, lacerating the clown's hand, making him release the soft fabric he clenched tightly with a scream. The girl fell back, clutching her ripped top to her chest as sobs wracked through her body. Cursing profusely whilst trying to stem the blood running from his hand, the Joker whipped around to face the startled, red and white faces of the group. "What the fuck was that?!" he hissed, spittle flying from his crimson lips. "

Boss," one of the boys breathed, pointing to somewhere beyond his peripheral vision. The clown whirled around, only to have the blood in his face drain at the sight before him – making the white paint on his cheeks paler by comparison.

Embedded into the concrete was a black knife, spots of his own blood circling around it, dripping down the sleek metal. He stumbled back, afraid that the weapon would suddenly grow a life of its own and whip out of the ground to embed itself into his neck. They heard tales of Bat-shaped knives flying from the shadows seconds before the very darkness descended upon them. Though the knife wasn't bat-shaped, they had learned to fear these stories, hence the large group and the even larger weapons they carried. "Slaggit, it's him." The boy who pointed at the offending weapon whimpered, gripping tightly to the pump rifle he had only just learned how to use that night. Those were the words nobody wanted to hear.

Something shifted in the clown's peripheral vision, eliciting a yelp to jump out of his throat and to squeeze the trigger at the shadow as it curled with liquid grace around the bullets like smoke. The group – startled by the sudden noise – followed suit, shooting in the same general direction as their comrade until their gun chambers ran empty. Low chuckles started to pour out of the darkness and curl around their senses. The Jokerz shivered at the dark delight it contained. "He's messin' with us," one of them hissed, black-rimmed eyes swivelling wildly in his sockets as he pulled out a jagged piece of piping from his belt. The others mimicked him, pulling out various impromptu weapons and clutching them tightly.

Renegade repressed a snort from her railing pedestal some ten feet above their heads. They really thought that mindless brutality would save them. _How pathetic._ The group started at every little noise, the atmosphere ran thick with fear and tension. "Show yourself!" the leader yelled with misplaced resolution, waving his baseball bat in the air. "We're ready for ya, Bat!"

"Who said anything about a Bat?"

The gang whirled around just as she landed from springing off the fire escape, knees bent to absorb the impact. Straightening, she took in the fear on the faces. Though it wasn't completely aimed at her, she still felt a swell of pride for reducing one of the most notorious gangs in Gotham to whimpering little school boys. Smirking, she stepped out of the shadows. There was a moment of incredulous pause before the group burst into dramatic peals of laughter, initial fear all but forgotten at the sight of the scrawny, limber girl before them. Some were clinging to each other for support while others clutched at their sides. Renegade didn't respond, she merely waited for their amusement to subside with a smirk still plastered to her face.

One Joker however – the one whose hand she'd nearly slashed off – bared yellowed teeth and brandished a black, spray-painted bat at her with his uninjured hand. "You've got a death-wish, girlie." Renegade grinned, hooking her thumbs into the belt loop of her pants.

"Bring it on, chuckles." Aggravated, he charged at her with a battle cry, swinging his bat to bash the meddling bitch's brains in. But she disappeared before he could land a hit. Side-stepping out of the clown's trajectory, she reached out to grab the thicker end of the bat, stilling its movements. Using his own momentum against him, she angled the sports memorabilia down and rammed it back, smashing the handle into his face before he had the chance to move out of the way.

He went down with a howl of pain and his front teeth missing.

The group fell silent, watching their leader writhe on the floor in agony. Gripping their weapons tighter, they all tilted their heads up to the girl as she discarded the bat and perched a hand on her cocked hip. "Who's next?" A moment of silence deafened them all before a war cry echoed around the alley as they all rushed at her. With a flurry of movement, she was in motion, disarming the ones who were closest to her and knocking them into the ones further back. They were all on the ground within seconds. Renegade frowned, finding the 'fight' tedious. She expected more from the group of testosterone filled youths. "Surely you have more fight in you than that?" she muttered distastefully, a pout playing on her lips. At her taunt, several of the men stumbled back up, coming at her with fists and snarls. Renegade grinned. Much better.

The first man she flipped over her shoulder, carrying the movement into a roundhouse kick to the gut of the second. A pudgy fist came inches away from her jaw until she grabbed it, locking her arms against the sheer force behind the strike and was shoved back with her heels digging and scraping along the ground as a result. She had to admit, this one was strong, but she knew strength would be nothing when she knew how to use it against him. Twisting behind the brute, she trapped the limb into a vicious arm lock that had him screaming. She smirked. All that power and now he was helpless and at her mercy. Pity for him, she didn't have any.

Her ears twitched when the shuffling behind her caught her attention. Out of her peripheral, two men were coming at her from behind and seemed to have enough sense to pick up their weapons. Renegade's lips curled up as she hauled the man around to use as a human shield, pulling his arm to breaking point with the action. Listening to the girlish squeals he was emitting, she placed her boot into the fleshy small of his back. When the two Jokerz closed in, she shoved him forward and into the pair, a sickening crack breaking through amidst the chaos when his arm snapped in her hold. He crushed his comrades under his sheer bulk as all their bodies hit the floor. They were out cold.

The group were a whining mass of sprawled angles at her feet. Renegade sighed as content settled over her mind. She'd barely broken a sweat. The girl was long gone, not that she cared. Her need for action was stated, for now. Entwining her fingers together, she stretched her arms up, pulling on her muscles until her shoulders cracked with a satisfying _pop_. She killed enough time, she found herself musing when a low whine of a powerful, impending engine greeted her ears. Her head jerked up at the sound, unconsciously sinking into the darkness. The girl must have called the cops; she didn't count on them arriving so early. Or was she too absorbed with her work to notice that the seconds were trickling by into minutes?

"Damn." Renegade growled, about to make her escape when the area around her darkened, stilling her movements as the shadow spilled over her field of vision. Her head snapped up. A streamlined silhouette hovered in the light-polluted twilight, the whistle of the engine dulling to a hum as the ship allayed to a standstill. Renegade stood in awe at the sight. She knew exactly what means of transportation this was. A pneumonic whirr snapped her out of her admiration as she realised that the ship's occupant was exiting the vehicle. Quickly squatting out of sight, she watched from the shadows as a new silhouette jointed the floating craft.

It was him. Gotham's dark knight.

Batman.

Her eyes lit up as his figure flew down on crimson wings to land in the garbage, mere feet away from her hiding place. She could barely see him, even with her enhanced, night-vision goggles; he just melded so neatly with the darkness. But the red bat emblem on his chest stood out in stark contrast. To think, that would be the only thing criminals would see before he descended upon them like a bird of prey. The corners of her lips pulled up surreptitiously as he eyed her handiwork. The wrinkle of Kevlar between his brows continued to pucker as he observed the groaning mass of technicoloured idiots.

She grinned slyly as he glanced over her hiding place, unaware of her presence yet unconsciously drawn to her spot. God, she wanted nothing more to slink out of her nook and take him by surprise, but no. Not yet anyway. She wanted him to think he knew what he was up against, and then throw the carpet from under his feet. His head perked up at the distinctive wail of approaching sirens and promptly leapt into the night air and back into his awaiting vehicle with ease. Renegade stood from her hiding place and watched with fascination as the engine purred sweetly to life and took off with a sonic discharge that sent the tendrils of her hair flapping wildly, surfing on the torrent it emitted.

She remained still, not even when the police pulled up at the mouth of the alley did she move, staring at the place where the bat-mobile vanished and blended into the light-polluted night sky. The red light of the cherries on the vehicles illuminated her figure once …

twice …

then an empty space of discarded, half-dissolved cardboard boxes and rotting trash cans.

She clambered up and onto the parapet effortlessly before taking off at a dead-sprint, fuelled by the lingering traces of adrenaline that pumped through her system during the fight. It was good timing too, it was about time she made a move to meet her employer to discuss business. Renegade grinned. Perhaps she would create enough of a stir tonight to finally encounter the protector of the techno-city. She was longing, aching even, for a decent fight besides night guards and rivalling street mafias to pick off. Taking on the Batman would be the highlight of her night-career. And the ultimate instilment of fear into her impending enemies.

Excitement blossomed in her gut at the prospect as she flung herself over the gaps between buildings, sometimes pulling off acrobatic feats while other times she was too preoccupied with the tumult of her thoughts to amuse herself with another burst of adrenaline from the death-defying manoeuvres. Their introduction was inevitable. It was only a matter of time before they met – truly met, mask to mask. And if she was being honest, Renegade was anticipating the moment like a kid would the final countdown 'til Christmas. It had nothing to do with her night-time, self-appointed 'job'; in fact it went against everything the job had to hold. A grin wormed onto her face as the wind streamed by, tossing her hair into wild knots behind her.

_But then she wouldn't be living up to her name if she followed the rules, would she?_

**Oh wow, you actually read to the end? *Whistles appraisingly* So … What are your thoughts on Renegade? Quite the little adrenaline junkie isn't she? Okay, so this is the first chapter (obviously), just a little introduction into Renegade's character. I'm definitely going to expand on her later on. Don't want people thinking that she's ****_that_**** egotistical. Anyway, let me know if you liked the chapter or what you think could be improved. Updates will be sporadic (in other words my attention will wander for a while before I remember I have a story to complete), so … until the next chapter (whenever that is).**


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